Ubisoft appoints the company’s first Head of Diversity and Inclusion.
Ubisoft announces two new appointments, including the company’s first head of Diversity and Inclusion, as a result of the company’s restructuring following the scandals uncovered in 2020.
Ubisoft today announced the appointment of two new directors at the company. On the one hand, Raashi Sikka will be the first responsible for Diversity and inclusion of the company, a new position that will report directly to the CEO, Yves Guillemot. On the other hand, Belén Essioux-Trujillo will be the new Independent Director of the Ubisoft Board of Directors, replacing Virginie Haas, the new head of studio operations.
These new appointments are the result of the internal restructuring as a result of scandals uncovered since last summer at numerous Ubisoft locations, with many employees accused of sexual harassment, abuse of power, influence, and inappropriate conduct.
Regarding the first position, Ubisoft describes it as “a fundamental milestone in the company’s effort to strengthen their culture and enhance diversity and inclusion, both internally and generally in the video game industry. “
The role of Raashi sikka, whose position is VP Global Diversity & Inclusion, is the coordination and supervision of strategic planning in various programs to promote equity and diversity among Ubisoft employees. Sikka reports directly to the CEO of Ubisoft, and will intervene at all levels of the company, from Human Resources, Editorial and Games Development or Community and Marketing.
Raashi Sikka had previously worked as Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Uber. She was also one of the founders of Uber India, a company to which she had belonged since 2013. Previously, she had experience producing shows and television in India. He will take over on February 1, 2021.
“Video games have the power to promote the values of diversity and inclusion. I hope my work helps reinforce this and ensure that the content created at Ubisoft reflects the different backgrounds, cultures, identities and stories that teams bring to their daily work.” Sikka declares. His new role will help avoid cases like Assasissin’s Creed Odyssey, whose prominence did not fall on Kassandra at the insistence of Ubisoft’s former chief creative officer, Serge Hascoët.
The second new appointment is that of Bethlehem Essioux-Trujillo, who will be an independent member of the Ubisoft Board of Directors. Essioux-Trujillo, a Spanish national, currently holds the position of Vice President of Human Resources at L’Oréal.
He will hold the new position at Ubisoft until 2023, replacing Virginie Haas, who resigned earlier this year to another position at Ubisoft, that of head of studio operations. In turn, Haas replaced Christine Burgess-Quémard in her retirement, after nearly 30 years at Ubisoft.
